I currently have a C6 and am considering the purchase of a later model C3. I have been looking at a couple 1980+ and am wondering what to expect in value in the upcoming years. This car will not be driven a bunch as I will continue to use the C6 for the most part. Any information or ideas will be greatly appreciated. Thanks for the help.

 

No disrespect, but you're buying for the wrong reasons.

 

I think they will be worth big money about the same time that the sun runs out of energy. Having said that, I own a rubber bumper vette and love playing with it. They are an absolute great choice of c3 fun for not a lot of $$$.

 

if you want something that will go up in value at a healthy rate you should look Pre 1975. There are a hundred reasons why the smog/low HP/ poly bumper/ big window vettes just don't have the value. I think if driveability and the 80+ year body styles are what you enjoy than it is a good buy. They are stylish fun to drive and easier to find at a cheaper price. Making them a perfect vette for any younger buyers who don't have allot of funds for purchase and repairs. The c3s are wonderful but you need to buy one for the right reasons or you will likely be dissapointed an possibly loose money

 

Agree. Especially given the years you're looking at. Appreciation will be a long way off.

This is my overly simplified opinion of desireability:

You can't touch a C2 (67 and earlier) that is assembled and generally functional for a penny less than $40k. That's just where the values are.

The next cars to "appreciate" will be the chrome-bumper cars. '68 to '72.
---In that range, the '68 will probably appreciate quicker since it was a "one off" year that had many changes made for '69.
---Further, the '69 and '70 will have a small premium since they are the last of the cars with absolutely ZERO accomodation for emissions.

Some would argue that the '73 is in there too because it had the chrome REAR bumpers and, like the '68, was a "one off" year. I wouldn't disagree, but I'll keep it in a unique category. Like the car itself.

Next would be the '74 to '77 being as these cars retained the tunnel rear window.

'78 to '82 continued to grow with a more 'boulevard' look.

SOOOOOOO...

If the values of '68 to '70 cars JUST starting to have an upward turn, I'd expect the '71 and '72 cars to start in the next few years.

Following that formula, it would take a solid 10 years or more before the '80 cars started to see a real upward trend in 'value'.

By that time, there are probably a number of lower production volume C4 cars that will have already started to appreciate.

Buying a 'regular' car for appreciating prices in 10 or 20 years seems like an odd thing to do, if I was being honest. Look at the C4 ZR-1. Or the '78 Pace Car. There are SO many of those that were purchased and parked, the market is awash in vehicles with 48 miles and dried up rubber. Stupid things need a full rebuild anyway!

That's just my opinion, though. Point blank: You have a long time to wait before you need to bother thinking about "what to expect in value in the upcoming years".

 

Any C3 will hold its value better than any C4-C6 car. Of course, the condition of the car when you sell it (compared to its condition when you bought it) can be an issue and value can decrease because of increased mileage and wear/tear. But, that would be true of any vehicle.

Depending on its mechanical condition when you purchase a C3, you may have some work and money that need to be spent to get it into 'daily driver' condition/reliability.

 

Here's the story of how I got rich buying a C3....

Chapter 1
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Then end

 

Hi,
The sad part is that a REALLY nice garage to keep a 68-82 Corvette in is ALMOST always worth a lot more than the REALLY nice Corvette that's stored in it.
But, the garage doesn't give you the feelings the Corvette does!!!!!
Regards,
Alan

 

Just in the interest of accuracy, I wouldn't say that '69s, which all came with A.I.R. pumps and smog systems, had "absolutely ZERO accomodation for emissions."

 

I fully expect a 74 to 81 Corvettes to be worth more then a C6 in about 20 years...the 68-72s in about 15 years

Most of the C3's are already worth more then a lot of "good" C4 s

BUT my gosh you don;t buy any car for an investment you buy it to enjoy

Bob G.

 

I think you might see "value equivilence" sooner than you think.

 

I think the value of any C3 can be increased by 5k to 10k if you spend 40k on it.
I'm not an investment expert but I think it may be a money loosing formula.

 

Mr. JLR, You are too funny!!!! I loved your book. Have written a few myself. Keep the sense of humor; it is priceless

 

I like these long term predictions. What happens when the Boomers die? You can't give a C3 to a Generation Y guy. Most Gen Xers don't like them either & there aren't many. I'm 43 & love the 68-72 looks. The 20-30 year olds think they suck bad.

 

Same thing happened w/the Model T/Model A cars in the eighties/nineties.

Go to a big street rod event,...lots of young people walking around checking out the cars,...Corvette meet,...not so much.

 

The high option HP 67 corvettes were already worth as much as a new Corvette by the time they were 14 years old. The rest of the C2s and most of the C1s were by that time expensive cars - and the oldest of them was about 25 years of age. By contrast, these 71-72 cars are already over 40 years old. If they haven't appreciated by now, they're not going to. Cars like the L71s and the L88s are respected by today's young because they were (and still are) fast cars. Not so anything (stock) after about 1971. And 1975 onward was just awful (from both a performance and quality perspective).

The future owners of any Corvette are the kids you see growing up now. They may well be interested in the performance versions of each of the generations - but that will not include ANY Corvette made after 1972. The Gen Xers will likely find the C4 and later Corvettes far more interesting (since that is what they grew up with) than any late C3 given the performance differential. That's not to say that base C4s in general will be worth a whole bunch, they won't either. But the ZR-1s and the Grand Sports will certainly be worth more than any C3 after 1971. The C5s and C6s will (likely in many years) also have their adherents for the Z06 and ZR1 models as well.

Ratted out C6s and you might be right, but an equivalent condition C6 Z06 is likely to ALWAYS be more valuable than an 74-81 regardless of how far forward you project given the disparity in performance. As I stated above, "classics" like the 67 are recognized early by the market. The 74-81 cars have had their chance at the market and don't really cut it for the collector. That does have an upside though as these cars will likely remain affordable for those who like to drive and enjoy them.

 

Everything else is just speculation.

 

As long as a C5 or C6 is functioning OK, its value will hold up somewhat. Once they get 100K miles or more on them...forget it. The repair costs to put it back into good condition will be enormous. I doubt that folks will want to spend that kind of ca$h to rebuild a high-tech vehicle when parts for C3's are relatively cheap and you can do the work yourself.

But, all predictions are completely worthless.....until one of them becomes reality.

 

Think you're on to the concepts modeled by supply and demand curves. Maybe someone with an economics background can chime about the "when" did/will these curves intersect.

Bottom line is the cars are not for investment purposes. We enjoy working on them, learning how to work on them, which fuels our appreciation for when we drive them.

 

well, chrome bumper cars already seem to demand a bunch of money. 74-77 i think have gone up too, but not nearly at the pace of the chrome. fast backs are still lagging, but will climb as well.

I do not see them ever reaching the level of a 67 or 63 split, and part of it is the amount of years. C2s just wernt made that long, and C3's were made forever. However, i bought my car 12 years ago, for 5k in decent condition. 5k now gets me a car that looks like crap from what I can see (74 vette). So, I think they have gone up some already. However, like others have said, they are not an investment. If you buy a C3, insure it, keep it up, drive it some, tag it, and then go to sell it in 5 years or so you will not see any profit. However, you loss will be low.